How Get Multiple Text Lines in Vegas?

How Get Multiple Text Lines in Vegas?
by Peyton Todd on Feb 21, 2011 at 4:32:06 am

Hello. I have two similar editing problems possibly both having the same solution (if there is one). Both involve annotating tapes of deaf signs (American Sign Language). I have Vegas 9.0, but would happily buy Vegas 10 if it will solve the problem

1. The first is a conversation among 4 deaf people in sign language (sofas facing each other, two persons on each sofa, 2 cameras). To annotate this (identifying the signs produced by each person), I have found it easy to simply establish 'markers' (by pressing 'M') and let the name or label of each marker identify the signs being produced beginning at that point. The problem is that the signs produced by the people in this conversation overlap each other and I need separate tracks for each person. Actually about one extra track would be enough since it's quite rare for 3 of them to talk at once. The only other solution I know of would be subtitles (inserting an extra video track filled with text media, which I know how to do). But that would be a rather laborious process, and would quickly explode the number of text media snippets astronomically since it's an hour-long conversation.

2. The second is a sermon by a hearing preacher translated in real time by a sign language interpreter. I want to copy down the sentences spoken in the sermon on one track, and the signs used to translate them on another track. But here again, with the 'markers' method, there's only one track for them as far as I can see, and the extra video track full of text media has the problems just mentioned above. Here the problem is a lot more acute than in number 1 just above since the overlap is constant throughout the 20 minutes or so the sermon lasts.

Re: How Get Multiple Text Lines in Vegas?by John Rofrano on Feb 21, 2011 at 3:17:10 pm

Are you using the closed captioning function in Vegas? I would think that this is what you'd want to use. I'm not sure how closed captioning works when two people are speaking over each other but it's not unique to your situation.

I'm not sure what to do about the signing. Why would you translate the signing? Isn't the whole idea that they can read the signs or read the closed captions?

Wow, thanks, it looks like that's going to solve my problem: closed captioning on one track (blue markers), and regular labeled (orange) markers on the other. I'll test it more carefully when I have time tonight and let you know. This capability was complete news to me since I don't have a Vegas manual, and my only Vegas book - on Vegas 8, by Douglas Spotted Eagle - does not mention it, or at least I couldn't find it there.

Regarding your question as to why I would translate the signing, the whole idea is that this is for people who are NOT fluent in signing, such as linguists who are analyzing its grammar, of which I am one.

Peyton

P.S. Although closed captioning (which I had no idea existed) may be a great boon when it comes to presenting the material, at this point I'll be using it only for my own private analysis, to keep track of where I need to ask the conversation participants to translate for me the signs I don't understand, and to help me understand the interpreter's choices on the other tape (the audio portion is not crystal clear, and is always one to a few seconds earlier than the signing for obvious reasons).

Yep. That solution will work beautifully for the purposes I had in mind. So thanks again. But now that I know Vegas can do closed captioning I may want to do that at some future date. So far, though, what exploration I've done based on the Vegas Help info was not successful. No .scc file was ever built, and no captions showed up in the wmv file I made (I did have WMCaption selected).